Love Needs No Proof
by NoelleWynters
Summary: Valentine's Day in Storybrooke, with the simple gestures of love and the grand overtures alike.


_Standard disclaimer applies: I own nothing, this is all for a fun._

_This is in with a rather long series I have going, please go to my profile to see what came before in case you are curious._

"Considering he is always saying you need no proof, why the hell are we in here buying gifts?" Neal complained as he picked up a bouquet of pink roses, accented with sprays of baby's breath.

Rumpel smirked; he knew that was going to come up. Valentine's Day was a curious holiday, mind most the people in this realm celebrated did give him pause to wonder. The one with the chocolate eggs always baffled him, but it didn't mean he had a problem with taking them from any kid that left some laying around. "Because it is some sort of tradition here, you've lived outside of Storybrooke; I would think you'd be used to buying overpriced roses on a day like today."

Neal wrinkled his nose when he saw the price; he swore the florists always upped the price when Valentine's Day came around. Thankfully though, Moe French was not the one in charge of the shop anymore. If he were, Neal was convinced they'd never be able to afford a single rose. "Yeah well, I always had an easier way to take care of showing my love, if you get my meaning," he said, enjoying the look that came over Cyrus at that.

"Don't be vulgar, what is it with you people?" Jefferson quipped as he walked up from behind Neal and gave him a light slap on the head. "You're going to ruin our genie for life."

Cyrus laughed, it was becoming quite amusing to see Jefferson come out of nowhere and slap someone for saying or suggesting something that shouldn't be spoke of in polite society. He had thought to inform them that after living centuries in a bottle he was fully aware of many things, but if they wanted to shield him from what they thought he shouldn't know, they were welcome to it. Half the time he'd gladly forget certain things he'd learned about humans as his bottle went from master to master.

He and Alice didn't have the type of relationship most had, it fell more towards an unconditional love than the type Neal shared with Emma, or even Mary Margaret and David. He'd actually observed many different types of love during his time thus far in Storybrooke, everyone being so diverse they all had different ways of expressing their affections, and unlike what Neal was inferring, it didn't always require that sort of physicality.

Neal rubbed the back of his head, trying not to laugh. It was just a playful slap, and didn't hurt, but Jefferson sure did enjoy smacking any of them when he had the chance. He glanced over at Cyrus who was standing by a rack of Valentine's Day cards with a slightly bored expression. "You're starting to become a bit of a bother, you know that?"

A bit of a twinkle entered the genie's dark eyes as he grinned. "Anything to be of service."

"Oh now, we're not starting any of that being at someone's service, beck and call and all that. Did you find a card for Alice?" Rumpel inquired, looking at the one he'd picked out for Belle. It had puppies on it, she liked puppies.

Cyrus shrugged, he knew Will complained he was sugary sweet and annoying at times with his sentiments, but these cards were enough to make him ill. "I really don't think any of these suit."

Neal burst out in laughter at that. "This coming from a walking greeting card. Why don't you just recite her some flowery poetry, I'm sure Alice would be perfectly fine with that."

"Alice doesn't need gifts or grand overtures to be assured of my love for her," Cyrus countered, putting another card back. This really was a bit of a headache, neither of them had ever needed to show their love before, and this holiday was beginning to frustrate him.

He glanced over at Rumpel, who was holding a bouquet of red roses, a small box of chocolates and a card, all of which he knew Belle would appreciate but insist he didn't need to be bothered with. Their love fell along the lines of what he shared with Alice, but at the same time they'd not spent years in a realm where this holiday existed so it seemed pointless to him. And he knew Alice was thinking the same way, despite the fact she said it had been observed in her own realm. But of course with a father who spent his time mourning for his departed wife it had been yet another occasion that had never been marked in their home.

Neal had more than just the roses, which was why he was complaining on the price of them. He'd taken Cyrus out of Storybrooke a few days prior to shop for something particular, and if Neal was annoyed by the price of a bouquet of roses, Cyrus was floored at the cost of a ring. He'd actually found himself rendered speechless at the prices, and wondered where Neal was even finding the money to purchase one.

He knew what that was about though; it was the one thing that had slipped his mind when proposing to Alice. He'd been so nervous at the very thought of expressing his wish to marry her, he wasn't supposed to have wishes he was solely there to grant them for others. It seemed she didn't care about the ring at any rate, she'd been so overjoyed over the fact he was proposing that she didn't even allow him to get the words out.

Neal set the roses aside, after how much he had spent on a ring he didn't think he should overspend. Jefferson may have given him a playful slap but Emma might cause him some serious agony for splashing out so much on her. He wanted to spoil her, but it was hard to justify after the price he'd paid for the engagement ring to then spend even more on the bouquet of roses.

"Well, I think we're done here?" Rumpel inquired, to which Neal and Cyrus both nodded. He grinned, Cyrus hadn't spent one cent on anything, and it was a good thing Alice wasn't like some girls who expected something for a gift. The genie had money to use; Rumpel actually had him doing odd jobs in the pawn shop and paid him for it. The money was an incentive to keep him out of things though, as he could tell Cyrus still wanted to poke through the many curious things he saw. At least when there was payment involved it seemed Cyrus could forego that bad habit.

As they walked towards the car, Cyrus suddenly turned on his heels and ran back into the store, without so much as a word. "I wonder what got into him?" Neal wondered as they got in the car.

Rumpel shrugged and he put the key into the ignition, it was always hard to tell with most people what they were up to. "Maybe he decided to get Alice a card after all."

A few moments later Cyrus slipped into the backseat of the car and reached forward to hand Neal the bouquet of roses he'd been contemplating purchasing for Emma. Neal looked at the wrapped flowers with surprise. "What is this? I don't think Alice would appreciate you giving someone else flowers, let alone a man," he joked, to which Cyrus rolled his eyes as Rumpel chuckled.

"They're for you to give Emma, as I could see you wanted to buy them for her. Love may need no proof, but I know you long to spoil her to make up for lost time," Cyrus explained, a slight smile gracing his face.

Neal thanked him, rather surprised at this gesture. He knew Cyrus was the type who would do anything for a friend but it never failed to shock him when he witnessed such overtures. All the time he'd spent on his own, looking out for himself had made it hard to really comprehend when someone did an act of kindness with no ulterior motive.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," he muttered, grinning in turn when he saw Cyrus' smile brighten in the rear view mirror.

It really was strange to meet people who were nice simply for the sake of it.

* * *

Belle peeked out the window to see if they were back yet. Rumpel, Neal and Cyrus had left hours ago, and she knew the shopping in Storybrooke wasn't that great so she was slightly baffled what was taking them so long.

Not that she was complaining, it gave her, Emma and Alice enough time to make a nice dinner and even a few different desserts. Alice had even made the table up in a rather elegant way, avoiding the fine silver for one place setting of course. Emma had come along behind her and set a little place card by that one, just so they were all certain there would be no accidents or injuries over dinner.

"Are they here yet?" Alice called from the dining room, lighting the candles on the table. She really was a patient person, normally. But she was excited about this Valentine's dinner they'd made and couldn't wait to see how their respective beaus would react.

Belle bounced slightly when she finally saw a familiar car coming. "They're here, finally!" she shouted, dashing back into the dining room. This was almost as bad as Christmas, she mused, not that she cared about gifts. She only wanted to spend time with the man she loved, and was more than happy to spend the occasion with the two other couples she cared about as well.

Emma peeked her head out of the kitchen, grinning. "And they say women take forever to do anything, wonder what tied them up?"

Alice giggled. "I think it was Will, he called a little while ago to tell me he'd ran into them. He seems to delight in pestering anyone on a day like today."

"And to believe they call him the Knave of Hearts, you'd think he'd live for a day like today," Emma laughed.

To that Alice shrugged, she supposed it brought back memories of Anastasia. Soon enough they'd take care of that little issue, she hoped anyway. No matter what they planned something was always coming up, effectively postponing their trip to Wonderland and what was left of the Enchanted Forest, she hoped they'd make it there soon.

But at least they were able to enjoy Valentine's Day together. As much as she loved adventure, she also had taken to the idea of finally getting to find out what exactly this holiday was like. Not that she needed a day or a reason to let Cyrus know she loved him, but it would be interesting to see how this particular day worked.

* * *

Dusk was falling and they'd all retired to the sitting room to have tea and desserts after a lovely dinner. Belle had asked a thousand times if they'd enjoyed the food, as she had been certain she'd overcooked the pasta but Rumpel insisted, for the millionth time, it was perfectly fine. Even Emma had told her it had been cooked properly.

Alice was enjoying all the sweets; she'd always had a bit of a sweet tooth. Cake and cookies were always a wonderful compliment to a cup of tea. She'd been amused when Rumpel had given Belle a silly Valentine's Day card, along with a bouquet of red roses and a box of chocolates. She'd insisted he had no need to shower her with gifts, but when he'd insisted someone as precious as her deserved anything and everything; she'd simply blushed and then leaned over to kiss him.

She was rather enjoying this holiday, even if she knew Cyrus had not given into gifts and cards dripping with saccharine prose. She didn't need those, the fact that his love had given her everything she could ever want was more than enough.

Emma set aside her plate after scrapping up the last of the crumbs from the piece of chocolate cake she'd just consumed, watching Neal warily. He was acting shifty, and when he was shifty that normally did not bode well. Either he had bad news or he was up to no good, and she would hope he'd behave on Valentine's.

"What are you doing?" she inquired, her voice betraying her worry. She'd never seen him fidget this much before in her life.

Neal flashed her a grin, assuring her he wasn't up to something. "I have something for you, other than that card and the box of chocolates."

Before Emma could say a word he moved off the chair he was seated in and knelt down in front of her, producing a little box. When he opened it she found herself presented with a beautiful gold ring with a ruby heart in the center, surrounded by tiny diamonds. "I'm not the best with flowery words and sentimental speeches, but I love you Emma Swan. I know I've done you many wrongs over the years, and some of them are completely unforgivable but I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, and I want to create a life with you and our son. You deserve to be treated like the princess you truly are and I hope I'm up to the task. So, will you marry me?"

Emma felt her jaw drop slightly; this was not what she'd been expecting, in the least. If she was honest with herself, she never expected to marry anyone, let alone Neal. Growing up she'd been one of the few girls who didn't dream about a white dress and walking down the aisle with the man of her dreams waiting for her with a radiant smile and love gleaming in his eyes. She'd learned fast that love was something people talked about but never gave out freely.

And yet, here she was with a proposition she had never expected in her life.

"Yes, I will," she whispered, as Neal removed the ring and slipped it on her finger. He didn't even give her a chance to admire it before he pulled her into a long, passionate kiss. She could tell he had half expected her to shoot him down, and the thought actually amused her just a touch.

When the kiss broke off, he turned and grabbed the bouquet of pink roses he'd hidden by his chair. She took them and told him he had already spoiled her enough, blushing a little. It was strange being showered with gifts.

"That wasn't my doing, Cyrus bought them for me to give you," he explained as he felt someone give him a light kick. Obviously the genie didn't want him to give out who had actually bought the flowers.

Emma glanced over at the younger couple, if they could even be called that considering the one person was centuries old, and pulled one of the roses out of the bouquet and handed it to Cyrus. "Seeing as you bought them, and I appreciate it, you should have at least a single rose to give Alice."

Cyrus thanked her, and then turned to give it to Alice. "I know it isn't much..." he began to say as she silenced him by pressing her lips to his, her slender hand taking the rose from him in the process.

After a few lingering moments, Alice pulled away and looked into his eyes. "It isn't much, but it is absolutely perfect."


End file.
